A little background knowledge of this not so ordinary ramen shop - Ippudo first started as a 10 counter-seating ramen shop「博多 一風堂」back in Fukuoka 1985. In 2000, the founder of Ippudo 河原成美さん (Kawahara Shigemi) succeeded in defending his title of Ramen King for consecutively three years (3連覇) after his first win in 1997.
25 years on, today Ippudo has dotted the world with more than 40 outlets and still counting. (Source: Ippudo Website).
It's also interesting to note that Ippudo was the first to refer to broth as by colour 赤(red) and 白(white), which soon became a standard practice across the industry. Doesn't this speak volumn about the reputation of Ippudo in the global ramen scene.
赤丸角煮入り - $19.50
Improved from the original tonkotsu broth, the flavours in 赤丸 were enhanced by special blended miso paste and fragrant garlic oil, served with their springy noodles and kakuni, aimed to please the modern taste buds.
Commonly known as kakuni, pork belly was simmered to melt-in-mouth tender, then cut into bite-sized cubes for one to savour.
からか麺 - $17
Looking for something to spice up your meal? Then there is nothing suits you better than karakamen. Served with tonkotsu broth with special spicy miso paste and minced pork, Karakamen makes little volcanoes out of unwary diners.
豚スペアリブのピリ辛煮ジャポエソース - $14
Spicy braised spared ribs with speical soy sauce.
レアチーズケーキ - $7
I like the way my friend put it - a frozen block of yakult.
Carry an OCBC credit card with you next time you come to Ippudo, and this complimentary matcha ice cream will be yours for free. Silky and full of flavours, this top grade ice cream shared the same exceptional texture and quality with my matcha azuki ice cream which I enjoyed so much at Vanilla Bar & Café.
Overall, what I like about Ippudo are their homemade springy noodles and robust tonkotsu broth. On a side note, while most ramen establishments serve kakuni as one big meaty chunk, I really appreciate Ippudo's thoughtfulness in cutting it into bitesize pieces.
Although many may find the ramens here priced on the high side, if you would like to try out and compare ramens from different places, Ippudo is one that you wouldn't want to miss.
P.S.: Sick of waiting? Cut the queue by arriving before 6.
一風堂
333A Orchard Road
#04-02/03/04 Mandarin Gallery
Daily, 11.30am - 11pm
6235 2797